J Skis ripping off other brands... again

Z

zero*

Member
J Skis have been called out for ripping off other brands before. There was the whole issue of the 'rug topsheet' being a carbon copy of a Vishnu graphic, and there were a couple of other threads too. But this jacket couldn't be more of a rip off of Planks if they tried.

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Planks probably weren't the first to use 'Drop 'x' not bombs' as a slogan, but they have been using 'Drop Cliffs Not Bombs' on their gear forever, and they've been using it with the peace sign for a few years too. From this year's collection:

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Basically, fuck this. J is pretty much a graphics only business. They sure as shit don't support any skiers properly (see also 4Frnt post takeover). The least they could do is actually come up with their own ideas. It's one thing for random facebook ad 'companies' to rip off a ski t-shirt, but for a 'skier owned' company to do it to another is straight bullshit.
 
I have a dope "Drop Beats not bombs" shirt with a soldier holding a boombox. I only really wear it at concerts though. All in all there has basically been every iteration of the slogan used for almost anything since 'Nam started.
 
Yeah but wouldnt it be like totally soo funny to put the latest memes all over your topsheets??? Pizza! Tacos! Kittens and Rainbows OMG we're so hip and with the youth!!
 
Planks doesn't have copyright over the peace sign or the saying "Drop cliffs not bombs", both of which have been around long before either of these companies. You ignorant kids just need to shut the fuck up.
 
Nobody owns folk art. Rug patterns that are thousands of years old are not copyright materials. We say lots of shit like "drop knees not bombs" for the tele guys, "Powder Whore", "NO friends on powder days". Nobody owned that shit. If somebody has copyright on "drop cliffs not bombs and a peace sighn" then they could get all $500 in royalties J got for the camo jackets. Get real and go skiing. J makes great skis. The marketing is sort of a side gig as I see it. I would ride his skis if they had turds printed on them, but I am sure somebody else already did a turd ski, probably Atomic or Rossignol.
 
topic:zero* said:
J Skis have been called out for ripping off other brands before. There was the whole issue of the 'rug topsheet' being a carbon copy of a Vishnu graphic, and there were a couple of other threads too. But this jacket couldn't be more of a rip off of Planks if they tried.

View attachment 937632

Planks probably weren't the first to use 'Drop 'x' not bombs' as a slogan, but they have been using 'Drop Cliffs Not Bombs' on their gear forever, and they've been using it with the peace sign for a few years too. From this year's collection:

View attachment 937633

Basically, fuck this. J is pretty much a graphics only business. They sure as shit don't support any skiers properly (see also 4Frnt post takeover). The least they could do is actually come up with their own ideas. It's one thing for random facebook ad 'companies' to rip off a ski t-shirt, but for a 'skier owned' company to do it to another is straight bullshit.
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Hahahahaha sheesh dude, for somebody who hates what we're doing so much you sure seem to care a lot. I gotta say, I really do appreciate the passionate opinions though despite the misinformation.

As far as the Rug vs. Magic Carpet topsheet debate goes, graphics are finished months (or years for big companies) before they're ever seen by the public. By the time Vishnu posted their top sheet ours had been finalized for months and already in production and I'm assuming their's had been too, knowing how production lead times work in the ski industry.

For Drop Cliffs, Not Bombs... everyone uses that? It was on the original sticker sheets Jason was giving out back in 2013 when he started J and has been used periodically in our marketing for years. We never look to other ski brands for clothing inspiration so this is the first I'm seeing anything from Planks this season, but it's also the same story with above... both brands likely had their designed finished and products built before the other posted it.

I'm also super curious as to what "secrets" you have about 4FRNT since Jason's acquisition? 4FRNT is the strongest it's been in years and Jason's whole goal with these two companies is to build a high quality, unique product and sell it at the same or less price than major brands by selling direct to consumer, i.e. to give the skier more for their money.

Feel free to hit me up personally any time about product or marketing questions/concerns/rants, taylor@jskis.com
 
14052776:T-rave said:
Nobody owns folk art. Rug patterns that are thousands of years old are not copyright materials. We say lots of shit like "drop knees not bombs" for the tele guys, "Powder Whore", "NO friends on powder days". Nobody owned that shit. If somebody has copyright on "drop cliffs not bombs and a peace sighn" then they could get all $500 in royalties J got for the camo jackets. Get real and go skiing. J makes great skis. The marketing is sort of a side gig as I see it. I would ride his skis if they had turds printed on them, but I am sure somebody else already did a turd ski, probably Atomic or Rossignol.
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Ha! We'd be lucky if we made $500 from selling that coaches jacket. There's really no money in apparel for us, it's all to help spread the stoke and as another avenue to put out rad artwork for people to enjoy.

Thanks for getting it though - it's just skiing, after all
 
14052812:J_skis said:
Hahahahaha sheesh dude, for somebody who hates what we're doing so much you sure seem to care a lot. I gotta say, I really do appreciate the passionate opinions though despite the misinformation.

As far as the Rug vs. Magic Carpet topsheet debate goes, graphics are finished months (or years for big companies) before they're ever seen by the public. By the time Vishnu posted their top sheet ours had been finalized for months and already in production and I'm assuming their's had been too, knowing how production lead times work in the ski industry.

For Drop Cliffs, Not Bombs... everyone uses that? It was on the original sticker sheets Jason was giving out back in 2013 when he started J and has been used periodically in our marketing for years. We never look to other ski brands for clothing inspiration so this is the first I'm seeing anything from Planks this season, but it's also the same story with above... both brands likely had their designed finished and products built before the other posted it.

I'm also super curious as to what "secrets" you have about 4FRNT since Jason's acquisition? 4FRNT is the strongest it's been in years and Jason's whole goal with these two companies is to build a high quality, unique product and sell it at the same or less price than major brands by selling direct to consumer, i.e. to give the skier more for their money.

Feel free to hit me up personally any time about product or marketing questions/concerns/rants, taylor@jskis.com
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Love you j skis, gonna but myself a pair for good ole 'murica. USA USA
 
A peace sign and a popular saying in skiing is ripping off another brand? What happens if they make a shirt with the word "Jerry" on it, is that stealing from @jerryoftheday?

Your whole 4FRNT comment is stupid. They never made a profit in the 15 years they were in business before being bought by JLev. Its unfortunate they had to drop some athletes but thats better than going out of business.

**This post was edited on Aug 20th 2019 at 6:37:08pm
 
"Drop cliffs not bombs" is such a common saying, along with "just gonna send it" and other shit. Cool out, you're looking way too deep into details.
 
As an owner of two pairs of Jskis and other gear/apparel....whatever you’re going on about is weird. You’re kind of weird for starting this thread. Is there really this much time on your hands? Is this really what concerns you in everyday life? Cheer up dude. It’ll be snowing in no time at all. Get your rainbow colored jump suit out in a couple months and live life dawg.
 
drop cliffs not bombs has been pretty common in in the ski world from the early days of GWOT almost 18 years ago. It really picked up use following the Iraq invasion through 2007 or so.

im sure it has been in use for way longer however.
 
14052812:J_skis said:
Hahahahaha sheesh dude, for somebody who hates what we're doing so much you sure seem to care a lot. I gotta say, I really do appreciate the passionate opinions though despite the misinformation.

As far as the Rug vs. Magic Carpet topsheet debate goes, graphics are finished months (or years for big companies) before they're ever seen by the public. By the time Vishnu posted their top sheet ours had been finalized for months and already in production and I'm assuming their's had been too, knowing how production lead times work in the ski industry.

For Drop Cliffs, Not Bombs... everyone uses that? It was on the original sticker sheets Jason was giving out back in 2013 when he started J and has been used periodically in our marketing for years. We never look to other ski brands for clothing inspiration so this is the first I'm seeing anything from Planks this season, but it's also the same story with above... both brands likely had their designed finished and products built before the other posted it.

I'm also super curious as to what "secrets" you have about 4FRNT since Jason's acquisition? 4FRNT is the strongest it's been in years and Jason's whole goal with these two companies is to build a high quality, unique product and sell it at the same or less price than major brands by selling direct to consumer, i.e. to give the skier more for their money.

Feel free to hit me up personally any time about product or marketing questions/concerns/rants, taylor@jskis.com
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Can you bring back the old 4FRNT long sleeve shirts with the vertical cursive writing? That style was dope and my old one finally fell apart.
 
14052812:J_skis said:
We never look to other ski brands for clothing inspiration so this is the first I'm seeing anything from Planks this season, but it's also the same story with above... both brands likely had their designed finished and products built before the other posted it.
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To be completely fair, and I'm not saying they're the only ones that can use it, but Planks has been using that catchphrase on their apparel for many years. It's not something new for the upcoming season.

Now what would be fun and good sport, is if they added a "It's just skiing!" hoodie to their 19/20 collection.

**This post was edited on Aug 21st 2019 at 2:48:05am
 
Jason paved the way with twin tips and snowbladez. if anybody knows anything about being ripped off its Jason. I love his products, cant wait to buy a new pair of J Skis for this upcoming season ?
 
Big ups to @zero* for starting the conversation and to Jason Levinthal for being a pioneer! Truth be told ‘DROP CLIFFS NOT BOMBS’ has been a key part of Planks since 2008, by no means did we invent it, we just put our stamp on it (and put it on LOADS of stuff). At the end of the day we’re all skiers here! Go out shred hard and don't blow any shit up!
 
14052959:PlanksClothing said:
Big ups to @zero* for starting the conversation and to Jason Levinthal for being a pioneer! Truth be told ‘DROP CLIFFS NOT BOMBS’ has been a key part of Planks since 2008, by no means did we invent it, we just put our stamp on it (and put it on LOADS of stuff). At the end of the day we’re all skiers here! Go out shred hard and don't blow any shit up!
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and thus concludes this feeble attempt at shit stirring.
 
14052923:BrawnTrends said:
Now what would be fun and good sport, is if they added a "It's just skiing!" hoodie to their 19/20 collection.
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Hahahahaha that would actually be hilarious. We've got a bunch phrases to pick from ;)

- It's Just Skiing

- It's All Downhill From Here

- Friends on a Pow Day

- High Dins, Low Standards

- Ski Fast, Lose Pass

- Minimum Skill, Maximum Send

- Make Skis Not War

I could keep going, but you get the point. Tons of phrases exist in skiing, some that have been around forever and others that brands have coined, kinda what "It's Just Skiing" is to us.

SuspiciousFish said:
Can you bring back the old 4FRNT long sleeve shirts with the vertical cursive writing? That style was dope and my old one finally fell apart.
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I'll pass it along to those dudes, also feel free to hit them up with ideas anytime too: info@4frnt.com

BEastCoaster207 said:
Jason paved the way with twin tips and snowbladez. if anybody knows anything about being ripped off its Jason. I love his products, cant wait to buy a new pair of J Skis for this upcoming season ?
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It's super true, if you haven't seen Jason's "Ted Talk" yet I would definitely recommend watching it: https://jskis.com/pages/about

Thanks a ton for the stoke and support too! Couldn't be making this happen without rad customers like you.

PlanksClothing said:
At the end of the day we’re all skiers here! Go out shred hard and don't blow any shit up!
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Couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks for continuing to make rad shit and do good stuff for skiing
 
Here are some phrases you can use....

"New wave, dead wave"

"Max swag, minimum skill"

"Shuffle is French for under rotated"

"Do my track pants make my tricks look tight?"

"The Bunch, can't ski? You're in!"

"The Bunch, no skills required"

"That wasn't a fall, that was swag"

"I didn't fuck up, I'm being innovative!"
 
14052959:PlanksClothing said:
Big ups to @zero* for starting the conversation and to Jason Levinthal for being a pioneer! Truth be told ‘DROP CLIFFS NOT BOMBS’ has been a key part of Planks since 2008, by no means did we invent it, we just put our stamp on it (and put it on LOADS of stuff). At the end of the day we’re all skiers here! Go out shred hard and don't blow any shit up!
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Thanks Planks!

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't realize this was the case or I simply would have easily steered away from that saying. I have huge respect for all brands and definitely didn't create this with the intention to water down messaging that others were hanging their hat on for years. This will definitely not be on our future products.

I am stoked tho that Planks has been hyping this message since '08. In the high tension, conflict hungry media driven world we're in today, I personally feel there's no more relevant or important statement for waking people up from the stupidity. That's the motivation that drove me to put it on this jacket and in small text on the Friend ski this season.

Thanks for all the enthusiasm NS and looking forward to actually dropping cliffs soon...
 
14052997:skierman said:
Here are some phrases you can use....

"New wave, dead wave"

"Max swag, minimum skill"

"Shuffle is French for under rotated"

"Do my track pants make my tricks look tight?"

"The Bunch, can't ski? You're in!"

"The Bunch, no skills required"

"That wasn't a fall, that was swag"

"I didn't fuck up, I'm being innovative!"
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skierman strikes again!
 
um... don't have time to read all the comments on this post so I don't know if this has been said yet or not. J (Jason) invented twin tip skis so everyone else is ripping him off.
 
You can draw strings and comparisons forever with design because you're 100 percent right. It is a rip off!!

But ALL designers steal at some point. It's more of a "shout-out" than a "diss" between two. The source might get pissed, but It doesn't exactly "hurt" them to be "ripped off". If anything, it gives the Original all sorts of new exposure, like you just did by linking it!! ... Think of it like a "Hey! i loved ur shit, so im gonna modify it, to further identify with designs and vibes like this........ and also cuz you cant really stop us lol "

You should peep Dietprada on IG if you like this specific topic lol. i love shit like this. They put design theifs on blast daily, it seems harsh, but when you think about it. Rip offs really bring new life to old gems by re-surfacing them and paying homage to classics they created.
 
Also have you SEEN Vishnu Items?

Its literally just the main guy, staying up all night, eating quinoa and embroidering VISHNU on clothes he snagged off the rip. It's not his blank but the blanks just his medium. If it looks fly, does it matter?

It dontmadda
 
Drop Cliffs not Bombs has been a saying used for so long... Planks uses that on clothing, there's even a brand 'Drop Cliffs Not Bombs'

let it go man
 
14052795:SKRockies said:
Cant wait to hear about how shit they are after they fall apart in two months come season start
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Rode mine for four months last season. No cracks, no chips. Great skis. They're definitely on track to hold up for next season!
 
I don't know any people who've owned planks clothing but I know a lot who have j skis. whatever the phrases are its not what made jskis successful. J is a nice guy for saying he won't make any more product with that phrase. He knows he won't take a loss
 
14053030:KilaTsunami said:
Also have you SEEN Vishnu Items?

Its literally just the main guy, staying up all night, eating quinoa and embroidering VISHNU on clothes he snagged off the rip. It's not his blank but the blanks just his medium. If it looks fly, does it matter?

It dontmadda
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i usually eat burritos not quinoa, great 24 hour mexican out here in Utah. But thank you for noticing me!

As far as this thread, there's really no such thing as a purely "new" idea nowadays, you gotta go back to like the Renaissance period for that. And its even more difficult to prove someone "stole" an idea from someone else, so why bother trying? Especially with broad phrasing like "drop cliffs not bombs" or whatever.

Full disclosure, I used to get a very hurt butt about perceiving ideas as stolen but now I just shut up, roll my eyes, and make something else.
 
14053094:VISHNU said:
i usually eat burritos not quinoa, great 24 hour mexican out here in Utah. But thank you for noticing me!

As far as this thread, there's really no such thing as a purely "new" idea nowadays, you gotta go back to like the Renaissance period for that. And its even more difficult to prove someone "stole" an idea from someone else, so why bother trying? Especially with broad phrasing like "drop cliffs not bombs" or whatever.

Full disclosure, I used to get a very hurt butt about perceiving ideas as stolen but now I just shut up, roll my eyes, and make something else.
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Haha Utah sounds sick. Also Ofc i notice you guys out there. Vishnu Items turned me on to SØVRYN, who sold me a sweet DVX-100 and some very fire custom mittens!! You guys should make mittens together, that would be dope !!
 
14053094:VISHNU said:
i usually eat burritos not quinoa, great 24 hour mexican out here in Utah. But thank you for noticing me!

As far as this thread, there's really no such thing as a purely "new" idea nowadays, you gotta go back to like the Renaissance period for that. And its even more difficult to prove someone "stole" an idea from someone else, so why bother trying? Especially with broad phrasing like "drop cliffs not bombs" or whatever.

Full disclosure, I used to get a very hurt butt about perceiving ideas as stolen but now I just shut up, roll my eyes, and make something else.
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SOOOOO GOOD!
 
For the record dropping bombs is very tucking cool. You ask the CCT to nicely make the bad men go away, give him your initials; and boom, their whole world is fucking exploding courtesy of 500lb of precision guided 4th of July.
 
14052812:J_skis said:
For Drop Cliffs, Not Bombs... everyone uses that? It was on the original sticker sheets Jason was giving out back in 2013 when he started J and has been used periodically in our marketing for years. We never look to other ski brands for clothing inspiration so this is the first I'm seeing anything from Planks this season, but it's also the same story with above... both brands likely had their designed finished and products built before the other posted it.

I'm also super curious as to what "secrets" you have about 4FRNT since Jason's acquisition? 4FRNT is the strongest it's been in years and Jason's whole goal with these two companies is to build a high quality, unique product and sell it at the same or less price than major brands by selling direct to consumer, i.e. to give the skier more for their money.

Feel free to hit me up personally any time about product or marketing questions/concerns/rants, taylor@jskis.com
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Drop beats not bombs, and I'm sure a million other iterations were around before 'freeskiing' existed but that doesn't change the fact that this exact graphic exists in skiing, and freeskiing at that, since 2008. If you didn't see it, fair enough, but it has been out in the world on a brand that is everywhere, at least in Europe and the rest of the world, since at least 2008. Just a heads up here but 'Just Do It', 'Impossible Is Nothing' and 'What Skiing Will Become' are already in use too.

I'm not saying there are any 'secrets' about 4Frnt. Your business strategy is pretty out in the open with both brands: Don't pay many (/any?) riders, don't support the industry, keep prices down and keep all the profits.

It's a fine strategy if you're into profit maximization. But people should know, rather than treating a $600 dollar J-Ski like a $600 ski from another brand in terms of what that ski does for all the skiers who work in the industry (other than J who I'm sure is doing great, and his very few staff). By the industry I mean, professional skiers, production companies, ski shops etc etc. Obviously, 4Frnt is the strongest (most profitable) it has ever been. But if you fancy it, how about publishing some numbers on how much money goes to riders salaries/travel budgets, producing ski content generally, heck probably even R&D at 4Frnt now vs pre-takeover (let's say early-mid 2010s), I'm sure everyone would love to see those.
 
s-l300.jpg
 
I think j's skis are more micro brew with quality ingredients vs bud light (hi production) wich is more profit oriented. I bought a blemished allplay last spring for 400 because the ingredients sounded so tasty (maple) and quality. Think it's more passion driven than profit driven company. That's my take anyway.
 
14053117:SendyMcSendyface said:
everybody needs to boycott jskis until they replace the “ski fast loose pass” base with one that says “ski fast eat ass”
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I'm on board. Who's getting the "change.org" campaign up and running?

Pit Viper has also been begging us to change the "Allplay" to "Assplay" for years... might as well get two birds stoned at once and petition for both of them.
 
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